Chronicle
by moonraes
Summary: Previously titled "No Church In The Wild" / Tyson and the Bladebreakers fight for a fourth world championship title...but with new rules and new teams, everything and everyone is standing in their way, including a certain Russian team with a major thirst for revenge. With tensions so high, everyones inner demons come out to play.
1. I - Not-So-New In Town

**Introductory Author's Note** : Hello fanfiction world. I have been away from you for far too long. This is the first fic I've written on here in upwards of 8 years. I'll start with a little insight about my story here:

I know I'm not the only person who was really disappointed with GRev being the end for all of our OG favorites. So I'm planning on picking up where we left off.

Being an obnoxious student of sociology and sports media, I'm really trying to focus on the impact social media and other similar issues in our day and age have on the teams and players, especially being treated as "world class athletes." Even though in our time it's been literally almost 10(?) years since GRev ended, I'm treating this as if 2017 is two years after GRev ended. I'm going to try and keep this as canon as humanly possible and not go too overboard, but I'm also really trying to intertwine some new issues, especially with the media. It could go really good, or really bad! I have not plotted out any serious pairings yet, but I'm willing to let the story take me in whatever direction it goes.

Moving on…I wouldn't say there's a hardcore villain in this story. Instead, I think everyone is fighting their own battles, either with others or within themselves. Don't worry I'll make sure there's plenty of drama and action to go around. Keep in mind I've aged everyone at about 16 or 17. I mean what 17 year old doesn't have issues?

Disclaimer/Warnings: I don't own Beyblade. There's some mild language for the moment a no violence yet.

Thanks for reading my bullshit, enjoy!

* * *

-I-

 _"Not-So-New In Town"_

 **Spotted: Ray Kon Arriving at Narita International Airport, Bags in Hand**

 _Monday, May 22nd_ _\- Well, well, well, what do we have here? Bladebreaker fans, are all your dreams finally coming true? Less than 48 hours after Max Tate was seen at the international departures gate at JFK Airport, Chinese phenom Ray Kon was seen arriving at Narita International with several bags in tow. Despite being in a dark hoodie and sweatpants, the blader stopped for photos with several fans before disappearing into a car headed for a small town outside of the city, where our current World Champ is said to reside._

 _Even though it's been a week since BBA President Stanley Dickinson made the official reinstatement announcement for the sport of Beyblading, no official teams, rosters, or schedules have been released to the public. The BBA has reportedly made a complete overhaul of their rules, regulations, and schematics of play, but details have not yet come to light. If this supposed Bladebreaker reconciliation is any indication, we're about to witness the beginning of a wild ride._

 _Taylor Mattingly_

 _ESPN_

* * *

"Man Ray, I thought you were trying to keep it on the down low."

Tyson Granger held his phone up, displaying a photo of two young fans anchoring either side of Ray, with the airport and Ray's bags in the backdrop.

Ray shrugged, unzipping his baggy sweatshirt to reveal a much tighter white tee, cotton stretching across his chest.

"I thought so too," he said, plopping down on several cushions splayed out on the dojo floor. "But honestly, I kind of missed being chased after by fans. Guess I couldn't resist." He cracked a toothy grin and his golden cat-like eyes glistened in the afternoon light that spilled through the wooden frames of the dojo.

A silence hung in the air as Tyson and Ray took in each other's presence. Not even a year ago, neither of them were sure they would ever be beyblading together again.

Ray closed his eyes and sighed. "It's quiet."

"Yeah," Tyson replied. "Weird, huh?"

Ray shook his head. "Not weird…just different. Although I guess most of that is from the lack of a short, wild redhead that used to live here."

Tyson laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sometimes I miss Daichi, but the constant noise and eating all my food are two things I don't."

"Is it weird without him?"

Tyson shrugged. "I've learned over the years I can't force people to stay in a place they don't wanna be." He paused and looked up at the open door across the room, almost as if he expected someone to waltz right in just because they were talking about him. "Kenny told me he thinks what happened in the Justice Five really freaked him out, even if he didn't want to admit it. The past few months he kept saying 'I'm ready to go home, I wanna go home.' So one day at breakfast he just grabbed his shit and said goodbye." Tyson snapped his fingers, "Just like that."

Ray nodded in understanding. Even though Tyson and Daichi would argue and bump heads on the regular, they also had one of the most intimate relationships out of anyone else on the team, mostly in part to how much time they spent together. Ray could hear the feeling of abandonment in Tyson's voice, and felt a pang of his own self-guilt, thinking back to just a few nights ago. The thought of cold bitter air and a young, pink-haired girl's tear-filled eyes made him shudder.

Silence again. Wind whistled through the trees outside and the faint sound of a group of kids laughing echoed from around the corner. Seconds turned to minutes.

"Hey, Ray," Tyson finally said.

"Yeah?" Their eyes met.

"I'm glad you're back buddy." Tyson offered his warm, trademark goofy smile that Ray felt like he hadn't seen in ages.

"Me too Tyson. Me too." Suddenly, any guilt Ray had felt absolved, remembering the sense of belonging he had sitting right next to Tyson.

The two sat in a much more comfortable silence until a shrill voice rang through the halls of the dojo, causing both boys to spring to their feet.

"TYSONNNN!"

Hilary Tachibana came running into the dojo, frazzled and out of breath.

"Jeez Hil, any louder and you're gonna blow my eardrums," Tyson glared in her direction and rubbed at his ear.

"Tyson, I don't have time for your attitude." Hilary began pacing, heels clacking on the wooden floor. " _The Guardian_ keeps emailing me for a comment from you about the team getting back together, your brother's not answering his phone, and I feel like I'm breaking some kind or moral or ethical ground here…" Her pace quickened and her sentences started turning into long words, and eventually Tyson walked over to her and grabbed her by her shoulders, stopping her manic pace.

"Hillary! Relax, alright? Nobody said you had to give anybody any comment about anything. Who cares anyway?"

She whipped off her gold, bug-eyed sunglasses to stare right into Tyson's blue eyes. Her nostrils flared and she spent a moment breathing heavily, choosing her next words. Finally, she poked Tyson square in the chest.

"You are going to make me go gray before I turn 20. I know _you_ don't care, but _somebody_ has to operationally run this team, which includes but is not limited to our image, interaction with the media, and answering a thousand emails a day!"

Ray looked on tensely. This was definitely one thing he didn't miss.

"Heeeey guys…" he intervened sheepishly as Tyson and Hilary glared into each other. Tyson was now almost a head taller than Hilary and could actually look down at her. "Why don't we see what are Kenny and Max up to?"

Tyson and Hilary looked at Ray simultaneously. After some silent huffing from them both, Hilary turned and began to walk out of the dojo.

"We have dinner reservations at 7:30 with everyone. I've already spoken to Max and Kenny. Don't be late!" She called over her shoulder.

After she was fully out of ear-shot, Tyson sighed and sat back down on the floor, rubbing his forehead.

"Some things never change, huh?" Ray quipped, raising an eyebrow. "Or do they?"

Tyson's head shot up at Ray's comment, face reddening like a ripe tomato. He rolled his eyes and tried to hide his discomfort with annoyance. He knew in the back of his head he's spent more alone time with Hilary than anyone else, even if it was just studying or doing nothing of importance, but outwardly admitting he enjoyed it put him in deep, uncharted waters.

"You have no idea what it's been like being around just Kenny and Hilary for all this time. Just the constant nagging alone has made me wanna rip my hair out! Like, 'you better study Tyson because you need to think of your future outside of beyblading,' and 'no respectable profession is going to take beyblading on your resume seriously.' It's ridiculous."

Ray shook his head and let out a chuckle. "Well they do have a point Tyson."

Tyson smirked slightly and shoved Ray in the arm. "Yeah, don't remind me."

* * *

The Alley was a trendy, American-style diner where Hilary decided their unofficial first team get-together would be. Max, Kenny, and Hilary were all seated at a table in the back corner when Tyson and Ray arrived.

"Hey, Ray!" The blonde stood up from the table and nearly knocked his chair over on his way to embrace his old teammate.

"Max! It's been too long!" Ray exclaimed.

The two started talking and exchanging stories since their time apart, and Tyson sat down beside Kenny and drank in the environment. After all this time, countless beybattles, friends and enemies, some crazy megalomaniacs and a few otherworldly experiences, in the end they were still a team. Not BBA Revolution or G-Revolution, not some lame two-man tag team, but the tried and true original Bladebreakers. Tyson looked around the restaurant, and with the exception of a group of younger kids whispering and looking in their direction, everyone pretty much kept to themselves, leaving Tyson and the rest of the gang to enjoy their time together. Tyson wondered how many moments like this they would have before the chaos began.

Even still, an uneasy feeling sat in Tyson's stomach, and he knew it wasn't hunger. He glanced at the empty seat at the other end of the table meant for Hiro, but shook it off. Tyson's elder brother always had some type of business to tend to, and came and went as he pleased. Instead, he felt that empty seat could have held someone else.

"Something wrong, Tyson?" Kenny's voice pulled Tyson out of his daze. Tyson crossed his arms and squinted, hoping the answer to his problems would appear out of thin air in front of him.

He exhaled. "I think I'm just hungry."

But even burgers and fries couldn't keep Tyson out of his own thoughts. After all, it wasn't Tyson's fault he left. Not this time. And it wasn't Tyson's fault that nobody's heard from him. It was so typical, Tyson kept telling himself. But the churning pit in his stomach said otherwise.

"Hey, Tyson!" Max waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "You've been chewing on the same french fry for like five minutes. Is something bothering you?"

"Yeah Tyson, you look totally zoned out," Ray chimed in.

"Ugghhh I'm fine you guys, okay?!" Tyson snapped. "These fries just suck, that's all."

"That's not it," Kenny said. He looked pointedly at Tyson. He glared at Kenny for a moment, then sat back in his chair and sighed.

"The fact of the matter is," Kenny began. "it's been bothering Tyson since last week when Mr. Dickinson announced the reinstatement of the BBA." Kenny opened his laptop and started plugging away, while the rest of the group watched on with curiosity. "There's almost no information available, and after some digging this was all I could find."

The Chief turned his laptop to face the others, displaying several news articles, some even in Russian. All of the photos and articles centered around their once team captain. "Kai had been missing for a week after the Justice Five tournament. They found him outside the city in an abandoned warehouse, barely alive. He was flown to Russia and any info stops there. Someone somewhere is doing a very good job of keeping his business hush-hush."

The gang looked on, unsure of what to make of the information.

"I read something not that long ago," Hilary said, looking down at her half-eaten salad. "It was…awful."

The group was silent until Max finally spoke up. "Well go on Hil. Tell us."

Hilary sighed. "The article basically said after Kai went back to Russia, he was never able to recover from his injuries. And…he died. I know there's no way it's true, but I got chills even thinking about it."

"No!" Tyson pounded his fist on the table. "No way. It can't be. We would know. Everyone would know! That's not something you can keep a secret!"

"I'm sure that whatever's going on, he'll be okay Tyson," Max assured in his warm, positive tone. "We don't even know if he's beyblading anymore."

"Well, I'm sick of being kept in the dark," Tyson shot back. "But it doesn't even matter. Because if he blading, it's not with us. The BBA wants our official rosters by the end of the week, and I'm tired of waiting around for him."

Kai had become such a touchy subject for Tyson recently. Since Kai or anyone associated with him hadn't reached out to anyone, Tyson felt a familiar twinge of dereliction so often associated with Kai, and it stung. Was Kai even well enough to blade? And if he was, did Tyson want to blade against him as a rival or with him as a friend? Did Kai even care that they cared? Too many unknowns made Tyson uncomfortable, and it resonated to the rest of his teammates. After a few more bouts of silence, Tyson finally rose from his seat. He knew that despite all his questions and all his frustration, he had a major responsibility.

"So this is it right here," he stated boldly. "I officially declare the people sitting at this table are the new and improved Bladebreakers. And we have some ass-kicking to do."

* * *

 **Breaking: Bladebreakers Release Official Roster**

 _Tuesday, May 23rd - After much anticipation, the defending world champions have released their official roster, as first reported by BBA National, and have reverted back to their original team name. Tyson Granger, Ray Kon, and Max Tate round out the squad, with Kenny Saien and Hiro Granger listed as alternates. Since match play has reverted to the original best two-out-of-three, we can expect to see all three at their absolute best. Notably missing is Daichi Sumeragi, the wild child that stormed onto the beyblading scene two years ago, and who was ultimately Tyson's counterpart in the most recent World Championships. Team rep Hilary Tachibana said Daichi had "moved on," and declined to comment any further._

 _Drama already? If that isn't enough, the team schedules are set for release later this week, which sources say is bound to drop some jaws. Stay tuned._

 _Taylor Mattingly_

 _ESPN_

* * *

 **Closing notes** : I know I kind of ended it a little cheesy, but fear not. Cheesy is not my strong suit, so don't get used to it.

I know that there's some unhappy dispute on whether or not Kai actually _did_ die after his Justice Five battle with Brooklyn. Yes, I'm using certain information to my advantage, but let's face it this fandom would fall apart if we actually played into what supposedly happened.

Also, I was inspired by the infamous Gossip Girl on how to report on our characters while keeping a completely third-party POV. I'm going to try and use those kinds of news articles and such as a way of giving readers certain information without being boring. So for future reference, Taylor Mattingly is the beyblade reporter for ESPN and she'll definitely be a recurring character, even if it's only her name signed at the bottom of an article or report. Let me know what you think! I'll hopefully have the next chapter out later this week.

xoxo Rae


	2. II - There Might Be Blood

**Note:** Hello again! Thank you for all of your support on my first chapter. I've been out of the fanfiction game for so long, and I'm just started to rewatch Beyblade to get a feel for all the character I _thought_ I knew so well. There's a lot going on in this next part, so I do apologize if it's a little chaotic or hard to follow. I wanted to get a bit of plot movement in without diving headfirst into just ACTION ACTION ACTION. Thanks again for your continued support, and I hope you enjoy Episode II!

* * *

\- II -

 _"There Might Be Blood"_

Tyson blinked. Shook his head. Blinked again.

It looked like a meat locker. The dusty, gray walls were lit by faded fluorescent bulbs that hung just a little too low, and frigid mist hovered just above the dirty linoleum floor. Except it just kept going. On and on into a darkening abyss that sucked him in with every step he took. He felt hot and cold at the same time. He heard a faint sound, like metal scraping against the floor. He tried to look around to pinpoint the sound, but he couldn't move. He was frozen but burning up. Palms sweating, but hands shivering. He wanted so badly to turn around and sprint the other way, but against his will, he kept moving forward. The scraping sound got steadily louder.

"H-Hello?" He called out to the emptiness. No response.

A shadowed figure emerged slowly from beyond the darkness. It was short, and came about halfway up the wall. An animal possibly? It made no sound. As the metal sound grew louder, his heart dropped as he realized it was the all too familiar sound of a beyblade spinning.

The figure moved closer, revealing not an animal of any kind, but rather a person, hunched over, kneeling in a puddle of dark liquid. It finally made a sound, something in between a wheeze and a cry.

"Tyson…" the figure gasped and reached out a trembling hand. "Please…"

When the figure's face finally came into the dull light, Tyson's heart stopped. Blood ran in frayed ribbons down the figure's cheeks, and various cuts and bruises engulfed every bare space on his arms. But his eyes were what made Tyson's head spin. Just pure, black emptiness, as if his very soul was sucked out through them.

"Kai…" Tyson finally breathed out. He stood frozen in place.

"Tyson…help me…" Kai tried crawling forward, leaving dark streaks where his hand grazed the walls for support.

Tyson tried screaming. He strained his throat and his chest heaved, but nothing came out. The halls kept spinning, and eventually Tyson felt himself falling dizzily into compete darkness.

Tyson lurched out of bed, grasping at his sheets and desperately trying to catch his breath. Early morning light barely peeked through Tyson's drawn curtains. His breathing finally slowed, and he laid back in bed trying to make sense of what just happened.

Tyson rarely had nightmares, especially ones so vivid. He tried to shake the image of Kai's mangled figure out of his head, but things like that stuck. Hard.

"Tyson, are you even listening to me?"

Tyson peered over the top of his laptop at Hilary, who impatiently tapped her nails on the table they were sitting at.

"Yeah, sure Hil," he muttered.

Hilary rolled her eyes. "You are such a bad liar Tyson. I _said_ , if you even still care, your essay has to be submitted to the University of Michigan in the next two weeks. Duke isn't due in until September but I figured with everything going in the next few months you would want to at least start it now…" She was met with more silence. She sighed and shook her head. "Tyson, what is going on with you today?"

"I'm fine Hil," he answered, not looking up from the laptop.

"Did I not just get through telling you what a bad liar you are? Or did you not hear that either?"

Finally fed up, Hilary rose from her chair and made her way over to Tyson, who immediately slammed his laptop shut.

" _What_ are you doing?" Hilary asked.

"Nothing," Tyson insisted. After a few more moments of silent glaring, Hilary took a step back.

"I'm not arguing with you today, Tyson," Hilary said. "In case you forgot, your brother comes back from London tomorrow and he won't be happy to see you've slacked off the days he's been gone."

Tyson buried his face in his hands. "I know, I know."

"If you're capable of pulling yourself out of whatever mood you're in, don't forget your Michigan essay."

Hilary gathered her things and sauntered away, with the click-clacking of her shoes following her out until there was nothing but silence. After Tyson was sure she was gone, he returned to his laptop. He opened the screen and continued shifting through his searches.

 _Recurring Nightmares and What They Mean_

 _Hostility, guilt, regret, depression, and anxiety are often characteristics that negatively affect sleep. Nightmares are believed to be a result of the brain struggling to process these emotional experiences._

 _Some people can relive a traumatic event over and over again in their sleep. These dreams can be literal or metaphorical as the person re-experiences the event. When a dream or nightmare occurs because of unresolved emotional issues, it can have a personal meaning and can be highly symbolic. This is a way to protect the conscious mind from information it may not be willing to accept._

"Recurring nightmares?"

Tyson nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard Hilary behind him.

"You really are out of it, Tyson," Hilary remarked. "These shoes can be so loud. I can't believe you didn't hear me."

"I thought you said you were leaving!" Tyson snapped.

Hilary walked to the other side of the table. "Well, can't go anywhere without my car keys, can I?" She dangled them in front of Tyson, her mass of trinkets and key chains making a metal clanging sound. She walked back around behind Tyson, who hadn't bothered to close his laptop now that he'd been discovered. "So, you're having nightmares?"

"No," Tyson replied quickly. "It's…for a paper."

Hilary crossed her arms. "You know Tyson, you do this thing where your words don't match your actions."

Tyson narrowed his eyes. "Are we still talking about the same thing here?"

Hilary scoffed. "Wait a minute Tyson." She held up her hand inches from his face. "I thought we agreed we weren't bringing _that_ up anymore."

"We did, which is why I'm wondering why you're trying to bring it up now."

" _Me?_ " Hilary shot back. "You started it!"

Instead of retorting, Tyson remained silent. For once, he had nothing to throw back at her, which is when she knew something was really wrong. After a moment, Hilary sighed and took a step back. "I'm just…worried. Are you alright?"

Tyson looked at Hilary straightforward for the first time all day. His eyes were bloodshot and glassy.

"Can you…not tell the guys?" He asked.

"Okay. I won't."

"I haven't been sleeping," Tyson said as he rubbed at his eyes. They burned with exhaustion. "I've had the same nightmare for three nights in a row."

"What did the article say?" Hilary asked.

Tyson sighed heavily. "That I am struggling to process my emotions and I have unresolved issues."

Hilary almost laughed and shook her head. "Oh, Tyson…if that was really the case everyone would be plagued by nightmares every time they went to sleep. Everyone has difficulty dealing with emotions sometimes. And most people have some kind of unresolved issues."

"But Hilary, this is no ordinary nightmare," Tyson pleaded with her. He paused to collect his thoughts. "I'm standing in a hallway. A hallway that looks just like the ones in the BEGA building, but old and dirty. And Kai…he comes out of the shadows, on his hands and knees, and he looks like he had just been mauled by a creature or something. And he begs me to help him and I do nothing. Eventually everything goes black, and I wake up."

Hilary pursed her lips in thought. She put her hand on Tyson's shoulder. "You are a lot of things, Tyson Granger, but one thing you are not is a coward. And right now, you're acting like one."

Tyson was taken aback by her response. "A coward?" He spat back at her.

"Yes Tyson a coward. Because you're afraid to confront what's happened. The reality is there is nothing you could have done then, and nothing you can do know except face whatever lies ahead like the champion you're supposed to be."

Tyson's face went red. Not from embarrassment, or anger, but from pure warmth. How often did he forget that he wasn't the champion on just his own accord, but with the help of the people he surrounded himself with, including Hilary.

"I'm gonna go now," Hilary said. "I expect you to get a good night sleep, because we've got a busy day tomorrow." And as she turned on her heel and walked out, Tyson cracked a grin. He hated that she was always right.

The following day, the Bladebreakers were gathered at the Granger dojo, and things were almost too normal. Even nostalgic. The gang sat outside in the afternoon sunlight, where Tyson and Max were sparring in a beydish, and Hilary sat by Kenny as he modified Ray's launcher.

"One more click should do it," Kenny said, screwing in some final bolts to the bottom. "This grip shooter should perfectly compliment Driger now, especially with its new Magna Alloy system."

Ray gripped his shooter and held it out in front of him in a launch stance. "Yeah! Especially since I think my hands have gotten bigger." He gave half a laugh as Kenny rolled his eyes.

"Yes!" Max cried from across the yard. "That's two out of three, Tyson."

Tyson reached down to pick up Dragoon, brushing some dirt off the crisp, white beyblade. "Uh, no I'm pretty sure we said five out of seven, Max."

Before they could continue, a car pulled up to the entrance of the dojo. Out stepped Hiro in a dark pair of sunglasses with his bags in hand. Tyson ran up to green his brother, but before he could even speak, Hiro meant business.

"We all have a lot to talk about," he said before striding into the dojo.

"Okay, yeah, good to see you to bro," Tyson called after him.

"As you all know, I was at an international BBA meeting in London finalizing all the changes we've made to this year's schematics of play." Hiro paced as he addressed the team, who were sitting in a circle on the floor of the dojo.

"It was really complicated at first, but if all goes well, we've come up with a way to include more teams and increase the length of the beyblading season to ultimately draw in more fans and participants. After what happened with BEGA and the Justice Five, many people were obviously drawn away from the sport."

Tyson couldn't help thinking about Daichi as Hiro said that. There was no way a little group of lunatics like BEGA could have scared that fireball of a kid away so easily. Tyson shook it off as Hiro continued.

"You guys will also have the chance to play in almost double the matches that you did previously, which means you have to train harder and play better than you ever have before."

There was a collective gasp of both shock and excitement between the bladers. They continued to listen with eagerness, while Kenny attempted to document all the new information into his laptop.

"The BBA has thrown out the old round-robin tournament style of play," Hiro explained. "Instead, we have one match a week against another team that's listed in our division. The BBA created five divisions mostly based on geographics, but also constructed around the Power Five teams."

Kenny chimed in. "Power Five being the White Tigers, the All Stars, the Majestics, us, and…"

"The Blitzkrieg Boys," Hiro finished. He could see Tyson tense up out of the corner of his eye.

"Calling us all the Power Five sounds pretty intense," Max added excitedly.

"Yeah!" Ray continued. "But if we're all filed into different divisions, are we ever going have a chance to play any of them?" In the back of his head, Ray was hoping the answer was "no" so he wouldn't have to face Mariah and Lee before any finals or championships. He was worried his current state of guilt would prevent him from playing his best without some proper time to heal.

"Actually, yes," Hiro replied. "The scheduling is laid out so that you play each team in your division once, plus the opportunity to play two teams out of your division. So that's 7 matches total, plus each team is allotted a bye week, which is just another way of saying a week off."

"So if there's all these teams playing all at the same time, how do we know who makes it to the World Championships?" Tyson asked with an edge creeping in his voice. All he knew was there had to be a way to face off against the Blitzkrieg Boys and get some answers.

"Which brings me to one of my final points," Hiro stated. "Every week, the BBA has a group of experts which will rank the top 10 teams in the world based on a large number of criteria including their performance in the match of the previous week, win/loss record, the manner in which they win or lose, injuries or roster updates, and some more technical things. After all 8 weeks are played, the top four teams will face off in a single elimination playoff-style tournament, which will ultimately lead to the World Championship match. The pre-season rankings are supposed to come out in the next 10 days or so." Hiro concluded and gave the team a chance to let all the information sink in.

Kenny spoke first. "So, we're going to be seeing a lot of teams for the first time then."

"Exactly," Hiro replied. "Which means we need to be extremely up-to-date on as much information as we can. You've got a big responsibility Chief, think you can handle it?"

"Uh, yes sir!" Kenny awkwardly saluted at Hiro, which prompted laughs from the rest of the team.

"I think for the first time since Mr. Dickinson's announcement, I'm actually really excited," Hilary exclaimed. The rest of the team started to clamor with excitement before Hiro spoke again.

"Oh, one last thing. There's also a top 10 individual player ranking list just like the team one. There's no real benefit from it except…bragging rights."

Tyson's eyes glowed at the thought. He had a big, fat #1 next to his name and everyone would be clamoring for it. This was the kind of rush that Tyson lived for.

"When do we get our schedule?" Hilary asked.

"It should be finalized by the end of the week," Hiro replied. "Our home opener is set for June 16th, giving us a little less than three weeks to prepare."

Tyson jumped to his feet and pumped his fists in the air. "Oh yeah! I'm so ready!"

The exuberant blonde joined him. "Yes! We're gonna have to fend off all kinds of people aiming for the title, like those guys in the Walking Dead fighting off a hoard of zombies!" Max exclaimed as he punched at the air.

"Maybe not zombies," Ray said as he too rose to his feet. "But we're gonna have a huge target on our backs. We need to play hard, but be careful too. There's always someone trying something sneaky and underhanded."

"Well, I'm ready too!" Kenny hoisted his laptop in the air triumphantly.

"And obviously me," Hilary added. "Because who else is going to answer all the phone calls and emails from those ESPN reporters?"

"Well good, because we officially start our training regimen tomorrow." With Hiro last in the group huddle, their circle was complete. Their moment of euphoric team pride was cut short as everyone's phone started buzzing and pinging with breaking news. All of a sudden, the air had been sucked out of the room.

 **Breaking: Kai Hiwatari Listed As "Active" On Official Blitzkrieg Boys Roster**

* * *

 **Note:** Ah I love a good semi-cliffhanger. I hope the new structure for beyblading wasn't too confusing. Like I said before, I'm a student of the sports industry, so I've modeled the rankings system and championship format from my all-time favorite sport: college football. I really thought it out and it works pretty damn well in this case, plus allowing me to add plenty of semi-useless characters and mini filler archs, while still keeping our main characters at the forefront. If you couldn't tell, I'm in this for the long haul. I've been trying so hard to emulate what we would physically see in the show, and put it in words. I'm hoping I'm capturing that concept well so far.

As far as the "recurring nightmares" piece, I paraphrased a few articles I skimmed through on the internet. The concept of dreams actually fascinates me, so there were some cool things to learn.

Also, I really have never been a huge fan of Hiro and I never paid much attention to his character, but I did as best as I could from what I remember of him.

PS; I'm becoming such a sucker for the dynamic of Tyson and Hilary's relationship, if you couldn't tell.


	3. III - Wish You Were Here

**Note:** Hey, long time no see! I am soooo sorry about pushing off this update for so long. I told myself when I started this I wouldn't be one of those authors that has literally months and months between updates, but between starting a new job and moving things have been hella crazy around here. But it's finally done! AND ALAS, A WILD KAI APPEARS!

The title for this episode is the name of one of my favorite Pink Floyd songs. I don't know why but I get such a vibe from this song when I imagine Kai and Tyson's relationship right now, at least as I'm trying to portray it. If you couldn't tell, music is a huge inspirational point for me when writing, so I'm actually putting together a playlist for this fic. It'll be up on my profile soon, and I'll be adding to it as I post more chapters. So finally I present Episode III. Enjoy!

* * *

\- III -

" _Wish You Were Here"_

It was abnormally cold for a May morning in Moscow. It had just rained, but the puddles on the streets were in all different stages of life, from frozen solid to thinning, melting ice that sent small rivers of water disappearing into the drains.

Kai Hiwatari looked out his apartment window down to the street, where he could make out two figures on the sidewalk through the foggy glass. One shorter, wildly gesturing with his hands, and one nearly twice his size, standing placidly with his arms folded.

"Sometime today would be nice," a voice dripping with that much sarcasm could only belong to the final member of their group.

Kai turned to face Tala, who was leaning in the doorframe with his trademark deadpan expression, donning a heavy black parka with a fur trimmed hood. He held a similar one in his arms that he proceeded to toss to Kai. They sat in an uncomfortable silence, both trying to play off awkwardness for aloofness. Kai had only returned to Moscow 10 days ago, but most of it had been spent signing trust fund documents and dissolving the last of his grandfather's company. Kai and Tala hadn't actually seen each other since Kai's departure nearly a year ago, and the redhead still wasn't sure what to make of his return.

"Let's go. We're gonna be late," Tala said hurriedly before turning away.

Kai shrugged the jacket on, already mentally prepping himself for the frigidness that awaited him outside. He rummaged through the bag he had already pre-packed for their trip, pausing as his hand glossed over a glint of vivid blue in a sea of grey and black. Kai pulled Dranzer from out of his bag, feeling a rush of warmth emitting from the beyblade. It pulsed in his hand. He felt his gut twist into uncomfortable knots as he shoved Dranzer back in its pocket.

 _A phoenix never dies. When its time has ended, it burst into flames. Then, it is reborn from the ashes, stronger and more powerful than before._

The words rung out in Kai's ears as vivid, angry images from his last battle with Brooklyn flashed in front of him. His entire world going up in flames, his chest tight, heaving and straining from lack of air, bits of his consciousness fading away until there was absolute nothing except cold, bitter air that enveloped him like a shroud. Kai only had fragments of memory from then until finally waking up in a Moscow hospital weeks later. A year later, his journey had brought him back full circle, right back where he started.

Kai hastily zipped up his bag and made his way outside, where a grisly blast of icy wind hit his face. Bryan stood huddled behind Spencer's massive form, desperately trying to light a cigarette. They both wore the same jackets Tala and Kai had on.

"This is bullshit," he muttered, barely audible over the sound of the wind. "It's fucking May, it should not be this cold."

Not a moment after Bryan finally lit his cigarette, Tala yanked it from his mouth and tossed it into a nearby puddle.

"You think you're cold now?" Tala said. "Then you better get yourself a warmer jacket." He turned and made his way to the van parked at the curb, expecting the rest of them to follow without having to say so.

Bryan scoffed and shook his head. "Unbelievable," he muttered. Spencer rested his hand on Bryan's head of silver hair and chuckled.

"Don't be such a grouch," Spencer said with a cautioning tone. "You know Tala will make you pay for it later." The two Russians made their way into the van, with Kai following shortly after.

"You never even told us where we're going," Bryan remarked as they began to drive away.

"Then put whatever little patience you have to use, and you'll find out soon enough," Tala replied snidely. He was met with silence which permeated most of their trip, though Bryan rolled his eyes at the back of his captain's head.

The dense layers of the city peeled away as they drove further into rural, more uncharted territory. Trees replaced buildings and the dull morning sky was clearer, less polluted by light and noise. Mountains began appearing on the horizon, and after several hours of driving through mostly uninhabited taiga, the van pulled up to a gated facility. After a loud buzz, the gate opened for them, and the van continued into the facility, passing through a maze of empty, prison-like buildings. Some had windows boarded up, while others were half engulfed in a growing wall of fauna. The place had clearly been abandoned for some time, which prompted more disapproval from Bryan.

"Tala, you can't be serious," Bryan said, still trying to drink in their desolate surroundings. The van came to a stop in what seemed to be the middle of a small open space away from the buildings, and without a response to Bryan, Tala gathered his things and hastily exited the van. Kai silently followed, then Spencer, and finally Bryan after one last protesting groan. The van drove away, leaving the Blitzkrieg Boys in a seedy graveyard of buildings and trees, a few hundred miles away from normal civilization. It was at least 10 degrees colder here.

"Mr. Valkov," a voice came out of nowhere, causing three of the four Russian bladers to nearly jump out of their skin. A man appeared in the clearing, donning a heavy green jacket and goggles similar to what a pilot would wear. He acknowledged Tala directly. "Right this way, sir."

Tala looked back at his teammates, slyly raised an eyebrow and smirked before following the man out of the clearing and into denser woods. Kai strode ahead to be at pace with Tala.

"We're not that far from Lake Baikal. Less than a hundred miles," Kai remarked, only audible enough for his captain to hear. "Rumor has it that the mountains east of the lake were home to a Soviet special ops training facility."

"And?" Tala responded. "What's your point?"

Kai closed his eyes and smirked. Tala's answer was all the information he needed.

A dull, pulsing sound started echoing through the trees as the team got closer to their destination. The sound got louder and louder and the wind began picking up, throwing scattered leaves in every direction around them. The source of the sound was in another clearing, where a helicopter awaited them.

The man in goggles, who assumingly was their pilot, opened the helicopter door to four seats with head and ear gear placed on each.

"We should be arriving at our destination in a few hours," the pilot informed them. The helicopter took them up over the mountains, passing over small dots of towns and rivers that looked like dark cracks in the land's surface. Eventually they flew over Lake Baikal, still half frozen from the frigid winter months. Time seemed to slow to an absolute halt as Kai looked out the window, feeling his chest tighten as he remembered the last time he stood on that lake. It was the deepest lake in the world, and if it hadn't been for his once teammates, he'd be at the bottom of it. Kai turned away from the window and felt his stomach churn. Even thinking about it made him ill.

"You know," Tala finally spoke over the steady humming of the helicopter, pulling Kai from his memories. "There was a big part of me that thought you weren't coming back."

Kai stiffly crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I'm here," came his clipped response. And whether Tala liked it or not, Kai's reasons were his and his alone.

* * *

"This facility hasn't been used since the 80s. The closest town is almost 60 miles away. There's shitty lighting, no heat…oh, and no cell service."

Tala's words echoed off the walls of the large, empty room they had entered. It was night by the time they had finally reached their destination, and to his point, the lights were faded and dying, illuminating little more than their silhouettes. Kai had been right - the place was a training facility used for Soviet Special Ops during the Cold War. Now it was nothing more than a few empty bunkers, discarded equipment, and a lot of barren, open space. But for Tala, this was gold. It was secluded, far away from everything, and the only thing any of the Russian bladers could do there was focus on training.

"How did you find this place?" Spencer asked as the team ventured further into the vacant building.

"I know a guy," Tala replied with a smirk. He gestured to a corridor to his left. "Rooms are down that hallway. Get a good nights sleep, because we start first thing tomorrow morning."

And with the command of their captain, the Blitzkrieg Boys retired for the night…save for one.

About a mile hike outside of the training facility, the mountain slopes got steeper and sharper, jutting out to overlook the miles of the wooded, uninhabited areas that surrounded them. Tiny snowflakes fell in intermittent groups, and the occasional howl of the wind was the only sound that filled the otherwise dead silence of the night. It was up here that Tala found Kai, surrounded by scorched earth that was no doubt the work of the phoenix.

"I guess some things never change," Tala said.

"What are you doing out here?" Kai asked sharply with his back still to Tala.

Tala shrugged. "Curiosity."

Kai looked over his shoulder at Tala, making direct eye contact with his captain.

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," Kai finally remarked after what seemed like too many long seconds of tense silence.

Tala walked closer to his teammate, feeling tension literally strangle the air around them. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not a cat."

Kai finally turned his entire body to face Tala. It was the first time the two had met chest-to-chest so close since Kai had returned to the team, and Tala finally noticed how different Kai looked up close. His shoulders were broader, no doubt from all the physical training he had endured in his time away. His face no longer bore his trademark blue triangles, but was now home to several new scars, faded and silvery-white with age, but still noticeable. The most obvious though was his hair, still a deep slate grey but cut rather short, and swept upward out of his face. Tala figured he had cut it short after leaving to keep a degree of anonymity in his travels, though Kai was the kind of person who could change the extent of his ambiguity. If he wanted to be noticed, you'd know.

"What do you really want?" Kai asked.

Tala exhaled heavily. "Look Kai, I don't ask you questions because I know better than that, but you _owe me_ an explanation." He paused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kai replied coolly.

"Don't play stupid with me, Kai," Tala practically spat his words at his teammate. They were still in each other's space. Eyes up, shoulders back, silently pushing each other's will on the other.

"I did you a favor and kept my mouth shut," Tala continued, still venomous with his words. "You were practically dead. I watched you leave the hospital before you were even close to being healed and said nothing to anyone. And then you just show up a year later as if nothing ever happened." Tala finally took a breath. His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I wanna know what you did to get Dranzer back."

Kai turned away from Tala, repositioning himself at the spot on the edge of the cliff where he stood before. "Honestly Tala…it's really none of your business."

Tala almost laughed at himself for thinking he was going to get a different response. "Fine Kai," Tala called out to Kai's back. "I'll play your game."

Kai felt himself raise an eyebrow, and when he turned to face Tala, the redhead was already up close. Tala held Wolborg up to eye level with Kai, it's crisp white body almost shining in the moonlight.

"If I beat you, you talk," Tala challenged. "If you beat me, I'll stop bugging you."

Kai scoffed. "What makes you think I would even waste my time with this?" He brushed past Tala and started making his way back down the mountain.

Tala didn't have to think twice about his response. "Because I have a feeling you want to fight me as much as I want to fight you. You're not the only one who's gotten stronger."

Still with his back to Tala, Kai smirked. "Is that something you really want to find out firsthand?"

"Absolutely," Tala responded without hesitation. Even though Kai had a well established rivalry with Tyson, there was a deeper, below-the-surface antagonism between Tala and Kai, going all the way back to their pre-teen years at the abbey. Tala was fiercely competitive by nature, as was Kai, and he hated losing. But a defeat of any kind at the hands of Kai was not a normal defeat. It was like comparing the bite of a dog to the bite of a great white shark - it drew more blood, and it scarred more gruesomely. But it was a risk Tala was willing to take. All the Russian captain wanted was answers, and if it started with a battle on top of a mountain in the middle of Siberia, so be it.

The pair loaded their launchers silently, refusing to break eye contact with even a blink, for fear of missing even a fraction of their opponent's movements.

"You're in my element, Kai." Tala held up Wolborg, ready for launch.

"My element beats your element, Tala," Kai shot back, holding his launcher up to match Tala's.

Skipping traditional beyblading theatrics, they silently and forcefully launched their blades. The two collided mid-air and sent shockwaves rippling down the cliff. No more than a second after the blades hit the ground, Wolborg was all over Dranzer, taking shot after shot from every direction. Kai had to admit Tala had greatly improved his attacking speed, but still he kept Dranzer back.

"You're not gonna even try?" Tala baited.

Kai smirked. "You're still making the same stupid mistakes," he retorted.

Tala was taken aback by Kai's comment, but continued his fierce attack. "Hit him again, Wolborg! Don't let up!"

Wolborg continued to strike, but Dranzer did not budge or falter. Kai's endurance had always been one of his legendary traits, but Tala couldn't believe how little damage Wolborg was doing. He didn't want to resort to using heavy artillery, but now would be as good a time as ever to test out his new special attack.

"Wolborg! Bring on the blizzard!"

Tala's beyblade began glowing a faint blue, and a low roar could be heard echoing off the mountain slopes. And as if the air wasn't cold enough, a harsh wind started blowing in all directions.

"Finish him!" Tala commanded.

Wolborg went in for a kill strike, but this time instead of taking the hit, Dranzer rocketed into the air. Kai smirked, as calm and collected as ever.

"Game over."

Without a single command, Dranzer lit aflame, and in a flash of bright light came crashing back down, sending Tala and Wolborg flying backwards into the snow. Dranzer returned to Kai's hand, still smoking.

Tala slowly rose to his feet, feeling his bones still rattling from the impact. He tenderly picked Wolborg up, running his fingers over parts of the attack ring that had been nearly melted off in Dranzer's blinding flash of heat.

"You lack balance," Kai said as he made his way past Tala. "You all do."

Kai left Tala alone on the mountain slope, still reeling from the absolute raw power Kai had unleashed on him.

 _And to think we're supposed to be teammates…_ Tala thought to himself as the wind continued to howl. He looked down at Wolborg again. _If he could do this much damage to Wolborg without breaking a sweat, I don't even want to think about what he's capable of doing to an opponent. Something's not right though…I felt it in my gut. He's hiding something._

* * *

 _How I wish, how I wish you were here_

 _We're just two lost souls_

 _Swimming in a fish bowl_

 _Year after year_

 _Running over the same old ground_

 _And how we found_

 _The same old fears_

 _Wish you were here._

"Tyson, do you think maybe you're being a little irrational?"

Hilary felt dizzy trying to follow Tyson's hectic pacing. Kenny stood next to her and shook his head.

"Tyson doesn't know the meaning of the word 'irrational'," he sighed.

"You act like Kai hasn't done this before," Hillary continued, ignoring the Chief's rational. "At least he has the decency to do it before we've even started training this time."

"No, this is different!" Tyson argued, still pacing.

"It's not Tyson." Hiro's voice stopped Tyson in his tracks. His heart was nearly beating right out of his chest as he tried to catch his breath. "Hilary's right. I understand you're upset but-"

"No, you _don't_ understand," Tyson interjected. He glared at Ray and Max, who had been standing silently in the corner, both unwilling to interfere. "Well? Aren't you guys gonna back me up here?"

Ray and Max looked at each other before Ray finally sighed and spoke up. "Listen Tyson, I'm not going to pretend like I understand how you're feeling, but I imagine it's probably the same way Lee felt when I left the White Tigers."

"Or how my mom felt when I left the All Stars," Max added.

"Exactly," Ray continued. "But Max and I are here with you guys instead of them, because we know this is where we belong. And maybe it's just time for us to accept that Kai's place is with the Blitzkrieg Boys. Besides, I think we all know Kai well enough to know that every decision he makes has a reason."

"Fine. Then I'll make sure he regrets that decision," Tyson said before storming off to his room.

Hilary tried to follow, but Hiro stopped her. "I'll talk to him. I've been neglecting my older brother duties lately."

Tyson sat on the edge of his bed, turning Dragoon over in his hands.

"What are we gonna do, Dragoon?" he said to his beyblade, feeling it faintly hum in his palm.

"Well, for starters you can stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Tyson looked up to see his brother standing in the doorway, arms folded.

"Why do you even care?" Tyson shot back.

"Can you dispense with the drama Tyson? I get that you're still mad at me, and I get that you're mad at Kai, but don't take it out on them."

Tyson looked up at his brother. His words were tough, but Tyson saw the sincerity in his eyes.

"You've got a great team with great friends and that should be all that matters to you," Hiro continued. He sat down next to Tyson and put his hand on his shoulder. "Whatever battles you choose to fight, they'll be fighting right beside you."

For the first time all day, Tyson exhaled with relief. He gave his brother a small smile. "Thanks Hiro."

Their moment was interrupted by Kenny, who came rushing into the room, flailing his laptop.

"I hate to interrupt, but you guys need to see this." Kenny put his laptop down in front of Tyson and Hiro, which displayed an email from the BBA with a bold graph of dates, times, and locations of the Bladebreakers 10 regular season matches.

"Is that our official schedule?" Tyson asked. He turned to Hiro. "I thought you were gonna give us our schedule."

"That's something I actually had nothing to do with," Hiro replied. "This is my first time seeing it too."

Kenny frantically scrolled through the email. "Look at July 21st."

 **July 21st | 8:00 PM | Seaside Dome | Blitzkrieg Boys**

Tyson started laughing, which shocked both Hiro and Kenny.

"Well, I couldn't have planned this better myself," Tyson said. "If they want a fight, we'll give them a fight. Hell, we'll give them a war."

 **Breaking: Bladebreakers and Blitzkrieg Boys Set To Clash Mid-Season**

 _Friday, May 26th - The BBA has released the official schedules for all the participating teams, with this highly anticipated rivalry match headlining the season. While it's too early to say this could very well be a preview of the Finals, this will no doubt be a match everyone will be tuned into._

 _Other notable matches include the White Tigers trip to Europe to face the Majestics, the All Stars hosting the Blitzkrieg Boys, and the Bladebreakers season opener against hometown rivals the Saint Shields._

 _Get yourself some good sunglasses and SPF 120, because things are about to heat up._

 _Taylor Mattingly_

 _ESPN_

* * *

 **Note:** I really do apologize for how bad my battle writing is. This is my first time ever attempting it and it definitely needs some work, which is one of the bigger reasons why this part was delayed so much, but just bear with me for now! On another note, I know I'm alluding a lot to what happened to Kai during his absent year, and even though I'll bring up parts in this story, I'm very interested in working on a full prequel project which involves all of Kai's journey. It probably won't come to the surface until most of this fic is published since there are a few twists and turns I have planned for this piece that the prequel would give away. I promise now that I'm mostly settled and have a regular 9-5 Mon-Fri job I will attempt to update this more regularly, because I really am in love with it, I have so much planned for it and I want it finished!

I'm big on the dynamic and chemistry between Kai and Tala, but I figured I will point out now that I have no intention of making that a pairing. Sorry to disappoint because I know there are a lot of fans of that, and everyone is gonna like what they like, but I have never been a writer of yaoi. I do read it on occasion if it's really good, but generally speaking, it's just not my thing.

Also a little stupid PS; I'm still in the middle of watching season 1 and they call the stadium in Tyson's hometown Seaside Dome so that's the name I went with for their home stadium...if anyone has any better ideas or info please let me know cause it is kind of lame but I was so burnt out by the time I powered through writing the end of this episode.

xoxo Rae


	4. IV - Pressure

**Note:** I know this is getting posted so much later than I intended to. I really have no excuse - it's more of a plot movement/filler chapter and it was kind of a drag to write some parts of this, sorry! Plot movement is needed! This chapter bounces around a lot and brings a lot of characters into the mix, some old and some new. Thanks for everyone who favorited/followed/reviewed since my last update, you're appreciated!

* * *

\- IV -

" _Pressure"_

 **Houston, Texas**

In Texas, the air starts to change in May. It gets hotter earlier, and stays hotter later. The wind is nothing but blasts of dry heat, and you're lucky if your lungs don't deplete after being outside for too long. And yet somehow, Kayleigh Hendricks found herself underneath the merciless sun, talking frantically into her cell phone as beads of sweat clung to her forehead.

"Yes, yes, absolutely," she said breathlessly into the phone through her heavy southern accent. "We're in."

"Great!" the voice on the other line chirped. "Thank you for being so cooperative so last minute. We'll be sure to have someone send over any definitive information you'll need within the next few days."

"Thank you, thank y'all so much," Kayleigh replied, feeling a sense of pure euphoria well up in her chest. She hung up the phone and went running back into the gym.

"Point those damn toes, Toni Ann!" Madison Royce snapped at the younger girl, precariously perched on a balance beam with one leg high in the air. On the other side of the gym, Peyton Stone swung from a pair of uneven bars, sending chalk from her hands splaying in all directions.

"Guys, guys!" Kayleigh came barreling into the gym, nearly tripping over the vault track on her way to the center of the floor. "Y'all are _not_ going to believe who I just got off the phone with!"

Kayleigh paused, catching her breath and her teammates gathered around her.

"Well?" Madison quipped. "Who was it?"

"A representative from the BBA," Kayleigh replied, barely able to contain her excitement. "A team withdrew last minute. We're the 5th and final team in the American conference!"

The two younger girls went wide-eyed, fists balled up shaking with adrenaline at their sides. They glanced at each other and squealed with glee.

However, Madison did not share Kayleigh's or the rest of the team's enthusiasm. "Hold on." The brunette held her hand up in protest.. "I thought you said we weren't doing this anymore. We're supposed to be competing for Nationals next week. There's colleges coming to scout me. To scout _us_. Now you want us to bow out of that to beyblade against teams that are probably way better than us?"

"Why do you have to be such a Debbie downer, _Madison_?" Peyton rolled her eyes in Madison's direction.

"I'm being _realistic,_ " Madison spat back. "I didn't move my life down here all the way from Michigan to play spinning tops. We're _gymnasts_ , not _beybladers_. And up until 10 minutes ago, I thought we were all on the same page." She turned to face Kayleigh. "Am I right?"

Madison was met with silence. Finally, Kayleigh sighed and looked back up at her teammate, her green eyes glinting with excitement, and just a bit of mischief. "Why can't we do both?"

* * *

 **Los Angeles, California**

 **Summers, Jones, and York to all redshirt freshman seasons to compete in tournament.**

 _Saturday, May 27_ _th_ _\- While it's no surprise that the PPB All Stars top players were set to play Division I athletics in their respective sports, Steve Jones, Emily York, and team captain Michael Summers have all elected to forego their first year of eligibility to compete in the upcoming beyblade season. On the contrary, Eddy Wheeler has instead elected to play basketball for Syracuse University, bowing out of beyblading entirely._

 _Summers, a heavily recruited pitcher who committed to the University of Southern California, said in an interview with BBA National: "It just wouldn't have felt right, not competing with the All Stars. Baseball is my first love, but I know how good I am at baseball. I feel like I still have something to prove to the world of beyblading. We all do." Steve Jones is a four-star linebacker committed to Florida State University, and Emily York is a nationally ranked tennis player committed to UCLA. We look forward to seeing the original All Stars team in the mix, with of course last year's explosive addition, Rick Anderson._

 _Taylor Mattingly_

 _ESPN_

Emily sighed as she closed her laptop. She had gotten into a bad habit of reading beyblade updates on various sports media, and despite the generally promising statistics in favor of the All-Stars, an uneasy feeling made itself home in the pit of her stomach. As much as he got on her nerves sometimes, not having Max on the team was a big-time loss. To make matters worse, Eddy's loyalty had ultimately landed in Syracuse to further his basketball career, leaving Emily to nurse injury-prone Steve, hold the reigns of a complete hothead and keep an egomaniac in check…even if she didn't want to.

 _When did I decide that beyblading was more important than everything else? More important than tennis? My college education?_

Emily shook her head, desperately trying to dispel any negative thoughts. She was a team player, and even though Michael was the captain, she had just as much responsibility to the All-Stars, being their lead strategist and data analyst. If she showed hesitation now, it would spread to the rest of the team. And if there was one thing Emily _was_ sure of, it was that she hated losing.

A knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, Em, it's me," a gruff voice called from the other side of the door.

Emily quietly groaned and hung her head. This was the last thing she needed to deal with right now.

"Come in," she called bleakly.

Michael stepped into her apartment, still in his baseball uniform. His blonde hair stuck out in all directions from underneath his cap, and his practice shirt clung to his figure in exactly the right places. The pit in Emily's stomach grew.

"Did I miss anything at practice today?" Michael asked, kicking his cleats off at the door.

"I know why you're here, Michael, so spare me the niceties, please." Emily didn't move from her chair. "I can read you like a book, ya know."

Michael scratched the back of his head. "Look Emily, about last night-"

She held her hand up before he could finish. "It was crazy and we shouldn't have done it." She felt her face get hot, but she continued. "None of us can afford any distractions going into the season."

"Yeah…exactly," Michael replied, trying to mask the hesitation in his voice. "I totally agree. We should just forget it happened."

"To think we could have done that without it compromising anything was a lapse in judgment on my part," Emily continued.

"And mine," Michael interjected.

"Right," Emily nodded. "So let's just forget it happened."

"Agreed."

* * *

 **Palma De Mallorca, Spain**

"I wanna go to Ibiza. Can we go to Ibiza?"

Enrique Giancarlo laid curled up on a plush grey couch, nearly swallowed by his large red hoodie. His sentence was practically slurred into one long word.

Johnny McGregor was sprawled out on the other side of the room, his legs dangling lazily over the arm of the couch. He turned to face his teammate, his bloodshot eyes glazed over with exhaustion and whatever drugs he had yet to expel from his system. "Why Ibiza?" Johnny finally huffed out.

Enrique tried to pull himself into a sitting up position, but immediately felt a surge of dizziness bring him back down to the couch.

"It's like…right over there," he gestured into the air. "Just take the yacht across to the other island."

Johnny huffed again and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do what you want. I'm not moving from this spot."

Enrique rolled his eyes. "You're no fun," he pouted.

The two sat in silence while the room spun around them, until finally Johnny's phone rang loudly in his pocket. Enrique groaned and turned around to face the wall.

"What?" Johnny barked into the receiver.

"Oh, well good morning to you too, Sunshine." An airy voice came from the other end, and with that much snootiness it could only belong to one particular Frenchman.

"What do you want Oliver?" Johnny hissed. Even the sound of his own voice made his head pound.

"Hey, maybe _he'll_ go to Ibiza with me," Enrique interjected, but he was promptly ignored.

"You had quite a time at Yacht Week, I see," Oliver continued to prod, knowing it was agitating his teammate.

Johnny raised an eyebrow, knowing Oliver didn't have any social media to check in on what he and Enrique had been doing over the past few nights. "What are you talking about?"

"Your snapchats," Oliver replied. "Oh, they're all over the internet. Buzzfeed and Daily Mail have taken quite a liking to your inebriated antics."

"And? What's your point?" Johnny sounded bored, unfazed by Oliver's condescending undertone. He heard Oliver sigh through the phone.

"Johnny, do you even know what day it is?" He asked.

Johnny turned to Enrique, who still had his back to him. He covered the phone with his hand. "Hey, hey!" He hissed at the blonde, trying to get his attention without Oliver hearing. Enrique finally looked over his shoulder.

"What?" he moaned.

"What day is it?"

"I dunno….Thursday?" He turned away from Johnny again.

"Nice try," Oliver chimed in. "It's Saturday. And our schedules came out yesterday, not that you seem to care."

Johnny paused and raked his hand through his auburn hair.

" _Schedules?_ "He mouthed silently to Enrique, since Oliver could clearly hear them if they spoke. Enrique just responded with a shrug.

"I take it your silence means you have no idea what I'm talking about," Oliver sighed again. "We're a team. We beyblade. Or have you forgotten already?"

Johnny rubbed his temples. "God damn it…"

Enrique was finally sitting upright, sharing the same look of half-disbelief, half-annoyance on his face as Johnny did.

"Just…be at Robert's by tomorrow," a hint of desperation came through Oliver's voice. "You can nurse your hangovers on the plane. We have a lot of work to do."

Johnny hung up and threw his phone to the ground. He groaned and fell back into the curves of the couch.

"So…does this mean we're not going to Ibiza?"

* * *

 **Hong Kong, China**

Mariah's pink hair stuck to her forehead in sweaty chunks as she tried to tie it up before another wave of nausea came over her. She hung her head over the toilet, feeling her stomach churn before vomiting again. Her throat was on fire and her chest felt like someone dropped a sandbag on her.

"Are you sure you'll be up for this?"

Mariah turned and saw Lee in the doorframe of the bathroom, with a more than concerned look on his face.

"Yes, Lee," she exhaled heavily. "It's just a stomach bug, it'll go away."

His golden eyes glazed over her. She was pale, and hadn't eaten in days. She could barely get herself into normal clothes, still wearing the same baggy t-shirt she wore to bed the night before.

"I'm worried about you," he pressed.

"Don't be," Mariah replied. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." She felt her stomach rumble again, but didn't want to be sick in front of Lee. "Seriously. Go. I'm fine," she insisted.

Lee turned and shut the door behind him, just as Mariah heaved again, only this time nothing came out. She sat up and felt her head pound. She felt bad about lying to Lee, but there was no way she could tell him the truth. She couldn't tell anyone the truth. She grabbed her phone off the sink to check the time. 8:03 AM. She groaned as she realized she had been up all night.

A picture of her and Ray stared back at her from her phone screen. She couldn't even bring herself to change it yet, even though she knew it would be for the better. She clutched her phone to her chest and felt a tear form in the corner of her eye.

 _Oh Ray…how did this happen to us?_

* * *

 **Siberia, Russia**

Kai was known for being up by dawn. It was usually the only time he had peace and quiet to himself. He stood tall in front of the large open windows, watching the sun slowly rise above the snow-covered tree tops, mixing warm yellow rays with the harsh dark that still lingered from the night. He reached his hands above his head, then slowly brought them down to his chest in a prayer position, exhaling as he did so. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, pulling himself away from reality and into his thoughts.

 _You do not know strength and you do not know light, until you understand weakness and understand darkness. Know the difference. React, and adapt._

Kai's meditation was interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind him.

"So you do yoga now?" Tala quipped.

"The door was shut for a reason," Kai replied sharply, still with his back to his captain. Kai moved with ease and grace into a Warrior II pose, legs wide and arms outstretched. When he turned his head, Tala was next to him, mirroring his moves.

"You're all enlightened now, huh?" Tala said, raising his eyebrow.

"Yeah. Dying will do that to you." Kai replied bluntly. He moved again into a tree pose, with his arms up and one foot up, resting against the inside of his opposite leg. Tala moved to the same position, but could not keep his balance like Kai, and fell over sideways. He saw Kai smirk out of the corner of his eye.

"So, what was it like?" Tala asked, now sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"What, dying?" Kai brought his hands down and placed them flat on the floor, still with his legs straight.

"No, your breakfast," Tala shot back sarcastically.

Kai rolled his eyes and finally sat down cross-legged just as Tala did. He placed his hands on his knees.

"It was…nothing." Kai closed his eyes. "Some people say they feel like they're drowning. Other people say they fly. But I just sat in the dark, cold."

The only noise in the room was Tala's breathing, heavy but rhythmic.

Kai opened his eyes. "And then I woke up." He turned to face Tala. He felt the blood drain from his face as Kai's gaze came over him.

"Was that the answer you were looking for?" Kai asked him.

Tala shook his head and sneered. "Not really, no."

They looked out the windows, where the sun was now high in the sky, bathing them both in a warm glow.

"Well, you came back for a reason," Tala said as he stood up. He offered Kai his hand, which Kai ignored.

"Fine," Tala narrowed his eyes. "Don't be late for practice."

He turned and left, slamming the door behind him. Kai laid back onto the cold wood floor and stared at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity. Morning shrinks space but leaves no message.

* * *

"Did you guys see this?"

Tyson laid on the couch with his phone held up above his face. Max stood over him.

"See what?" he asked. Tyson flipped his phone to show Max the headline on the screen.

 **WATCH: Majestics Teammates Johnny McGregor and Enrique Giancarlo Get Wild During Spain's Famous 'Yacht Week'**

The video was taken from Johnny's snapchat, where he's seen with Enrique chugging liquor surrounded by girls. Johnny is sweaty and shirtless under his ripped up jean vest, and he mumbles something completely inaudible to whoever is filming the video.

 _"It's a $400 bottle of tequila,"_ he says, brandishing the bottle. _"And I'm gonna finish it in one night."_

Enrique and some other half-naked party goers surround him, all jarring and cheering as the music blares in the background.

"He's wild," Max said as Tyson continued to scroll through his phone.

"Good, let him be," Tyson chirps. "If he's too wild and drunk to beyblade, that's one less person standing in our way."

"Forget about that Tyson," Kenny chimed in, who had been sitting on the floor, typing away at his laptop. "You'll want to see this."

Kenny pulled up a secondhand branch of the beyblade news website, BBA Europe. There was a video on the front page of an intimidating, dark-haired kid lifting huge weights.

"Do you know who that is?" Kenny asked.

"No," Tyson replied. "Should I?"

"That's Adi Rush," Hilary interjected. Tyson looked across the room at her and narrowed his eyes. Why did she always have to know everything?

"He's the team captain of the Crimson Tide," she continued. "They're the top rookie team in Europe. They annihilated every opponent in the unranked preliminary tournament." She paused. "And he can deadlift 450 pounds. He's a beast."

Tyson rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I could do that if I _really_ wanted to."

His comment earned a hearty laugh from Max. "Okay Tyson, _sure_."

"Get serious here guys," Kenny pleaded. "The Crimson Tide is our other out of conference match. And if they're anything like the reports I'm reading on them, they're dangerous. They play rough, and they play dirty. We have to be prepared for anything."

"And we are!" Tyson insisted as he stood up. "We're ready, right Max?"

"Hell yeah we are!" Max pumped a fist in the air.

Tyson looked around. "Wait, where's Ray?"

"I think he's outside," Hilary replied. "Said he needed some fresh air."

Sure enough, Tyson found Ray sitting on the porch outside, looking off into the distance, almost as if he was waiting for someone.

"You okay, bud?" Tyson put a hand on his shoulder, which startled Ray.

"What? Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, but Tyson wasn't buying it. After years together, it became pretty difficult to lie and keep secrets from one another. Ray knew this, and spoke again before Tyson could protest. "I just want to be alone right now, if that's okay."

Tyson shrugged. "Sure. You know where to find us." Tyson turned to walk away but paused. "We're here for you. Ya know, if you need to talk or something."

Ray felt a smile tug at his lips. "Thanks Tyson. I know you are."

Tyson left Ray to his thoughts, where he stood in the warm of the setting sun, but still felt a chill tear up his spine. Things were about to get serious, and Ray wasn't sure how prepared he truly was.

* * *

 **Note:** Okay I know that was A LOT of junk crammed into a short episode. I really just wanted to get this out of the way so we can start the first weekend of the tournament! Just some clarification/housekeeping things:

-For those of you who don't live in America or who are unfamiliar with college athletics, here's a few minor explanations: First, Division I is the highest level of most sports that you can play before playing professionally, and it is extremely difficult to be recruited to play Division I sports at any college or university. You are considered the best of the best at the amateur level. Obviously I saw it fitting that the All-Stars would also play at the highest level of their respective sports they practiced other than beyblading. Second, the term "redshirt" is the term used when an athlete defers from playing their sport for that year, without losing a year of eligibility (college athletes are only given 4 years of eligibility). Most of the time athletes redshirt due to injury, but there are exceptions made for other reasons as well. I selected schools that were well known for each character's sport. Feel free to Google any additional info you want, or just ask me.

-Yacht Week is totally a real thing, although I'm pretty sure it's usually in Croatia. I just felt Spain would be a better location for this scene. I have friends that have gone and it's literally just one wild party on everyone's yachts for a week straight.

-I know there's a lot of stuff I'm alluding to that clearly happened in the timeframe before the fic started, but don't worry I won't leave y'all hanging! Obviously you just have to keep reading...and don't forget to follow & review!

xoxo Rae


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